I inherited an on-premises Mitel phone system supporting fewer than 100 users. About a quarter of the staff work remotely, so people currently rely heavily on call forwarding to their mobile phones. The system feels dated, especially the user interface, and I haven't worked much with competing platforms. We may have the opportunity to replace everything, including phones and voicemail. If you were designing a phone system from scratch for a small hybrid organization, what would you choose and what factors would you consider?
5 Answers
Don’t overlook the licensing model. Traditional systems may be cheaper when many people need extensions but only a few calls happen at once. Most cloud providers charge per user every month, so compare the real cost over several years. Also verify emergency calling and location support, number porting, SMS needs, fax or elevator phones, call recording, shared lines, auto attendants, and CRM integrations before signing a contract.
For a basic business phone environment, almost any modern hosted system will feel better than an aging Mitel setup. For a contact center, the requirements are very different, especially around queues, reporting, recording, and integrations. I’d document how people actually use the current system, test two or three platforms with a pilot group, and choose the one that solves those workflows rather than whichever product has the flashiest interface.
I’d start by deciding whether the organization really needs physical handsets. A cloud phone platform with desktop and mobile apps, plus wired headsets, would eliminate most of the forwarding rules and make remote work much simpler. Keep a few shared or specialty phones where they’re genuinely needed, but don’t buy a desk phone for every employee by default.
A self-hosted system such as 3CX or FreePBX can work well for a site this size, especially if you have the skills to administer it. Users can make and receive calls through a mobile app or computer softphone instead of forwarding calls. The tradeoff is that you own the upgrades, security, backups, troubleshooting, and carrier relationship, so the lower license cost comes with more responsibility.
If you already rely heavily on Microsoft 365, Teams Phone is worth testing. It keeps calling, voicemail, presence, and collaboration in one ecosystem. If the company is already invested in Zoom, Zoom Phone is another straightforward option. The best choice depends less on brand and more on existing licensing, call requirements, carrier integration, support quality, and how much administration you want to handle yourself.
I’d still run trials with actual users before committing. A platform that looks good in a demo can feel very different when people are handling transfers, shared lines, voicemail, and mobile calls all day.